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Four years after the passage of the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, we are grossly behind schedule. The required mechanisms for its mandate remain underfunded, and many key bills will need public support to pass the Legislature with only one month left of session.
At this critical moment in history, we are seeing increased efforts to frame climate action as conflicting with the interests of New York businesses. This is dangerous and wrong: Though climate action may be at odds with the near-term interests of the fossil fuel industry and some multinational corporations, it is good for small New York businesses and a growing green economy.
Small businesses are New York state’s biggest job creator. While Idaho-based Micron is celebrated for projecting 9,000 new jobs in Syracuse over a 20-year period and indirectly driving another 40,000 new jobs in the region, little attention is given to the fact that New York’s small businesses create nearly 100,000 new jobs annually. These are not famous corporations, but the familiar local and family-owned businesses in your town, plus many startups and niche businesses that you never knew existed. They are the backbone of our economy and our communities.
Yet since the CLCPA passed, countless renewable energy firms, energy efficiency contractors, sustainability consultants, workforce development agencies, and others have been rising to an occasion that has not yet come.
They cannot wait any longer. This month, New York can pass two bills that create much-needed systemic change. The Climate and Community Protection Fund (S.5360/A.6263) would connect the Climate Action Fund established in the 2024 budget with the funding streams, labor protections and other requirements for effective CLCPA implementation. And an upcoming bill would ensure that the new cap-and-invest system creates green jobs, reduces energy bills and protects impacted communities where local businesses struggle most.
There are many bills that address more singular barriers to progress. For example, the NY HEAT Act (S.2016/A.4592) and Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act (S.3389) would finally eliminate ratepayer subsidies for new gas hookups, our obligation to serve gas in buildings, and the $330 million per year in state subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. The Just Energy Transition Act (S.2935-A/A.4866) would guide the replacement and redevelopment of fossil fuel facilities. The Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129/A.3351) would require the biggest polluters to cover the cost of cleaning up their mess.
These climate bills will propel the expansion of local green economies, ensuring that New York families, communities and small businesses thrive.
New York’s small businesses were among the most impacted by the pandemic. They are more threatened by the increasing energy costs and supply chain disruptions brought by a changing climate than their national competitors. The energy transition is key to their future stability. What’s more, many small businesses are poised to help with New York’s energy transition – once the state gets it rolling.
Our business community understands the stakes. We are watching to see if the Legislature funds the promises it made to build a stronger New York economy for all.
Bob Rossi is the executive director of the nonprofit New York Sustainable Business Council. Jon Leland is the chief strategy officer at Kickstarter, a New York-based crowdfunding platform.
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Commentary: Small businesses will grow in a greening economy
[ad_1]
Four years after the passage of the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, we are grossly behind schedule. The required mechanisms for its mandate remain underfunded, and many key bills will need public support to pass the Legislature with only one month left of session.
At this critical moment in history, we are seeing increased efforts to frame climate action as conflicting with the interests of New York businesses. This is dangerous and wrong: Though climate action may be at odds with the near-term interests of the fossil fuel industry and some multinational corporations, it is good for small New York businesses and a growing green economy.
Small businesses are New York state’s biggest job creator. While Idaho-based Micron is celebrated for projecting 9,000 new jobs in Syracuse over a 20-year period and indirectly driving another 40,000 new jobs in the region, little attention is given to the fact that New York’s small businesses create nearly 100,000 new jobs annually. These are not famous corporations, but the familiar local and family-owned businesses in your town, plus many startups and niche businesses that you never knew existed. They are the backbone of our economy and our communities.
Yet since the CLCPA passed, countless renewable energy firms, energy efficiency contractors, sustainability consultants, workforce development agencies, and others have been rising to an occasion that has not yet come.
They cannot wait any longer. This month, New York can pass two bills that create much-needed systemic change. The Climate and Community Protection Fund (S.5360/A.6263) would connect the Climate Action Fund established in the 2024 budget with the funding streams, labor protections and other requirements for effective CLCPA implementation. And an upcoming bill would ensure that the new cap-and-invest system creates green jobs, reduces energy bills and protects impacted communities where local businesses struggle most.
There are many bills that address more singular barriers to progress. For example, the NY HEAT Act (S.2016/A.4592) and Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act (S.3389) would finally eliminate ratepayer subsidies for new gas hookups, our obligation to serve gas in buildings, and the $330 million per year in state subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. The Just Energy Transition Act (S.2935-A/A.4866) would guide the replacement and redevelopment of fossil fuel facilities. The Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129/A.3351) would require the biggest polluters to cover the cost of cleaning up their mess.
These climate bills will propel the expansion of local green economies, ensuring that New York families, communities and small businesses thrive.
New York’s small businesses were among the most impacted by the pandemic. They are more threatened by the increasing energy costs and supply chain disruptions brought by a changing climate than their national competitors. The energy transition is key to their future stability. What’s more, many small businesses are poised to help with New York’s energy transition – once the state gets it rolling.
Our business community understands the stakes. We are watching to see if the Legislature funds the promises it made to build a stronger New York economy for all.
Bob Rossi is the executive director of the nonprofit New York Sustainable Business Council. Jon Leland is the chief strategy officer at Kickstarter, a New York-based crowdfunding platform.
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